On Thursday, December 6, the Atlantic Council IN TURKEY is launching a special issue of Turkish Policy Quarterly focused on Turkey’s energy sector dynamics entitled” Turkey’s Energy Nexus: Discoveries & Developments”.

In the past two decades, Turkey’s energy market has witnessed tremendous growth, boasting the highest demand increases in electricity and natural gas among OECD countries. Turkey’s rise as a consumer has been coupled with an increasingly important role in regional energy markets due to its strategic location between major producers in the Middle East and Caspian and consumers in Europe. While Turkey moves forward with plans to increase domestic energy production, including, coal and renewables, Turkey’s role as an energy bridge continues to grow.

The Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP), inaugurated earlier this year, promises to soon deliver Caspian gas to Europe as part of the Southern Gas Corridor, offering much needed supply diversification for Southeastern Europe. Likewise, Turkey’s complex energy relations with Iran and Iraq carry global ramifications, particularly after the recent re-imposition of US sanctions on Iran. Meanwhile, Turkey is exploring opportunities for natural gas diversification including through potential production in the Eastern Mediterranean and expanding LNG import infrastructure together with gas storage and exploration of unconventional gas.